WMATA unveils “Momentum” plan for growth

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) presented the Board of Director's Governance Committee with a staff draft of the authority's strategic plan, called Momentum, which defines the next generation of WMATA.

While WMTA is currently going through a multi-year capital rebuilding effort to bring the system into a state of good repair, the agency said it must simultaneously begin planning for expansion to help ensure the long-term competitiveness of the National Capital Region and keep pace with demand from expected population growth.

"Our customers know that many trains, stations and buses are already crowded and we need to begin planning now to prevent that from worsening and prepare for more riders," said General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles. "As the jurisdictions plan various expansion projects, we also need to make sure that we have a seamless, multimodal, transit network and Metro is in a unique position to serve as the transit planner for the national capital region."

To help identify the top priorities for action to its customers and stakeholders, WMATA conducted unprecedented public outreach that gathered direct feedback from more than 10,000 people and raised awareness among millions. More than 3,000 riders voiced their opinions through an online survey during a 30-day period.

WMATA planning director Shyam Kannan said that the agency's first priority will be maximizing the current transit network and utilizing every bit of capacity available as a foundation for future growth and expansion to meet the needs of the region of the future. Other priorities identified in the strategic plan include:

• Developing a next-generation communications infrastructure to provide a seamless and intuitive customer experience, allowing travelers to navigate the region by transit effortlessly;

• Building new pedestrian connections between selected stations to provide new transfer options and

• Adding infrastructure to give the rail network routing flexibility.

The plan includes funding estimates that will be required to meet the near-term and longer-term strategic goals. The investment is outlined as a three-step approach:

• $1 billion per year is necessary to continue to maintain safety and reliability of the system after the WMATA Forward rebuilding effort returns it to a steady state of good repair;

• An additional $500 million a year would allow WMATA to maximize the capacity of the system's core and prepare it for the transit projects that are coming on line in the region. The maximization of the existing system would include adding railcars, yard storage and power capacity to run all eight-car trains during peak periods, as well as physical connections between existing rail lines and stations to provide more capacity and flexibility. In addition, WMATA would take a leadership role in coordinating regional transit through unified trip planning tools and seamless payment technologies that would allow travelers to take full advantage of all transit providers in the region and

• $740 million additional per year would allow WMATA to prepare for growth. Features of WMATA's long-range plan, identified for 2040 and beyond, are conceptual and still under development, but include the possibility of building new tunnels in the core of the system to separate lines that currently share tunnels, building express tracks along the Silver/Orange lines in Virginia, as well as expansion of lines beyond their current termini.

The plan will be reviewed and edited by the board of directors and further public outreach is planned before the document is finalized.